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Epic of Atraḥasis
|-|Introduction= The Epic of Atraḥasis is an Old Babylonian period flood myth (17th century BCE), that was influenced by the older Sumerian Ziudsura flood story. Atraḥasis might have drawn from the same Gilgamesh poems of c. 2100 BCE that were used to create the later Epic of Gilgamesh, as both epics share the same literary patterns. Their differences, and choice of words, may have been factored by Amorite rule (c. 19th to 16th century BCE). Atraḥasis versions There are various versions and fragments of the Epic of Atrahasis. The best known are: * The Ark tablet (c. 1680 BCE) * A version written in Babylonian dialect (c. 1650 BCE) * A version written in Akkadian, on three tablets, during the reign of king of Babylonia (1647-1626 BCE). * A version written in Assyrian dialect (fragmentary) Legacy Later writings influenced by the Epic of Atrahasis: * Parts of Atrahasis are quoted in the Flood Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgameš (c. 7th century BCE) * [http://www.livius.org/articles/misc/great-flood/flood3_t-berossus/? Berossus' Babylonian History (c. 278 BCE)] * Hebrew Genesis flood version ( c. 1008 CE; unknown original source) Resources * http://www.livius.org/sources/content/anet/104-106-the-epic-of-atrahasis/ |-|Atraḥasis tablets= :PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION :Missing content 1-5 pending content 21-70 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster 21 The gods were digging watercourses, canals they opened, the life of the land. The Igigi-gods were digging watercourses canals they opened, the life of the land. 25 The Igigi-gods dug the Tigris river and the Euphrates thereafter. Springs they opened from the depths, wells ... they established. ... They heaped up all the mountains. gap 34 ... years of drudgery. 35 ... the vast marsh. They counted years of drudgery, ... and forty years, too much! ... forced labor they bore night and day. They were complaining, denouncing, 40 muttering down in the ditch: "Let us face up to our foreman the prefect, he must take off our heavy burden upon us! Enlil, counsellor of the gods, the warrior, come, let us remove him from his dwelling; 45 Enlil, counsellor of the gods, the warrior, come, let us remove him from his dwelling!" gap 61 "Now them, call for battle, battle let us join, warfare!" The gods heard his words: they set fire to their tools, 65 they put fire to their spaces, and flame to their workbaskets. Off they went, one and all, to the gate of the warrior Enlil's abode. ... 70 It was night, half-way through the watch, the house was surrounded, but the god did not know. It was night, half-way through the watch, Ekur was surrounded, but Enlil did not know! gap 132-145 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster 132 Nusku opened his gate, took his weapons and went ... Enlil. In the assembly of all the gods, 135 he knelt, stood up, expounded the command, "Anu, your father, your counsellor, the warrior Enlil, your prefect, Ninurta, and your bailiff Ennugi have sent me to say: 140 'Who is the instigator of this battle? Who is the instigator of these hostilities? Who declared war, that battle has run up to the gate of Enlil? In ... 145 he transgressed the command of Enlil.'" 150 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster "Everyone of us gods has declared war; ... We have set ... un the excvation, excessive drudgery has killed us, 150 our forced labor was heavy, the misery too much! Now, everyone of us gods has resolved on a reckoning with Enlil." a1-220 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster a1 Ea made ready to speak, and said to the gods, his brothers: "What calumny do we lay to their charge? Their forced labor was heavy, their misery too much! a5 Every day ... the outcry was loud, we could hear the clamor. There is ... Belet-ili, the midwife, is present.note Let her create, then, a human, a man, a10 Let him bear the yoke! Let him bear the yoke! Let man assume the drudgery of the god." Belet-ili, the midwife, is present. 190 Let the midwife create a human being! Let man assume the drudgery of the god." They summoned and asked the goddess the midwife of the gods, wise Mami: "Will you be the birth goddess, creatress of mankind? 195 Create a human being, that he bear the yoke, let him bear the yoke, the task of Enlil, let man assume the drudgery of the god." Nintu made ready to speak,note and said to the great gods: 200 "It is not for me to do it, the task is Enki's. He it is that cleanses all, let him provide me the clay so I can do the making." Enki made ready to speak, 205 and said to the great gods: "On the first, seventh, and fifteenth days of the month, let me establish a purification, a bath. Let one god be slaughtered, then let the gods be cleansed by immersion. 210 Let Nintu mix clay with his flesh and blood. Let that same god and man be thoroughly mixed in the clay. Let us hear the drum for the rest of the time. 215 From the flesh of the god let a spirit remain, let it make the living know its sign, lest he be allowed to be forgotten, let the spirit remain." The great Anunna-gods, who administer destinies, 220 answered "yes!" in the assembly. 225-245 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster On the first, seventh, and fifteenth days of the month,note he established a purification, a bath. They slaughtered Aw-ilu, who had the inspiration, in their assembly. 225 Nintu mixed clay with his flesh and blood. That same god and man were thoroughly mixed in the clay. For the rest of the time they would hear the drum. From the flesh of the god the spirit remained. It would make the living know its sign. 230 Lest he be allowed to be forgotten, the spirit remained. After she had mixed the clay, she summoned the Anunna, the great gods. The Igigi, the great gods, spat upon the clay. 235 Mami made rady to speak, and said to the great gods: "You ordered me the task and I have completed it! You have slaughtered the god, along with his inspiration. 240 I have done away with your heavy forced labor, I have imposed your drudgery on man. You have bestowed clamor upon mankind. I have released the yoke, I have made restoration." They heard this speech of hers, 245 they ran, free of care, and kissed her feet, saying: "Formerly we used to call you Mami, now let your name be Belet-kala-ili:"note ib35-ic35 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster i.b35 "Enlil committed an evil deed against the people." i.c11 Atraḥasis made ready to speak, and said to his lord: "Make me know the meaning of the dream. let me know, that I may look out for its consequence." i.c15 Enki made ready to speak, and said to his servant: "You might say, 'Am I to be looking out while in the bedroom?' Do you pay attention to message that I speak for your: i.c20 'Wall, listen to me! Reed wall, pay attention to all my words! Flee the house, build a boat, forsake possessions, and save life. i.c25 The boat which you build ... be equal ... ... ... Roof her over like the depth, i.c30 so that the sun shall not see inside her. Let her be roofed over fore and aft. The gear should be very strong, the pitch should be firm, and so give the boat strength. I will shower down upon you later i.c35 a windfall of birds, a spate of fishes.'" He opened the water clock and filled it, he told it of the coming of the seven-day deluge. ic40-ic50 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster Atraḥasis received the command. He assembled the Elders at his gate. i.c40 Atraḥasis made ready to speak, and said to the Elders: "My god does not agree with your god, Enki and Enlil are constantly angry with each other. They have expelled me from the land. i.c45 Since I have always reverenced Enki, he told me this. I can not live in ... Nor can I set my feet on the earth of Enlil. I will dwell with my god in the depths. i.c50 This he told me: ..." ii10 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster ii.10 The Elders ... The carpenter carried his axe, the reedworker carried his stone, the rich man carried the pitch, the poor man brought the materials needed. ii29-ii45 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster ii.29 Bringing ... ii.30 whatever he had ... Whatever he had ... Pure animals he slaughtered, cattle ... Fat animals he killed. Sheep ... he choose and and brought on board. ii.35 The birds flying in the heavens, the cattle and the ... of the cattle god, the creatures of the steppe, ... he brought on board ... ii.40 he invited his people ... to a feast ... his family was brought on board. While one was eating an another was drinking, ii.45 he went in and out; he could not sit, could not kneel, for his heart was broken, he was retching gall. ii50-ii55 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster The outlook of the weather changed. Adad began to roar in the clouds. ii.50 The god they heard, his clamor. He brought pitch to seal his door. By the time he had bolted his door, Adad was roaring in the clouds. The winds were furious as he set forth, ii.55 He cut the mooring rope and released the boat. gap iii5-iii20 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster iii.5 ... the storm ... were yoked Anzu rent the sky with his talons, He ... the land iii.10 and broke its clamor like a pot. ... the flood came forth. Its power came upn the peoples like a battle, one person did not see another, they could not recognize each other in the catastrophe. iii.15 The deluge belowed like a bull, The wind resounded like a screaming eagle. The darkness was dense, the sun was gone, ... like flies. iii.20 the clamor of the deluge. gap iii45-iiid5 :Translation by Benjamin R Foster iii.45 Enki made ready to speak, and said to Nintu the birth goddess: "You, birth goddess, creatress of destinies, establish death for all peoples! iii.d1 "Now then, let there be a third woman among the people, among the people are the woman who has borne and the woman who has not borne. Let there be also among the people the pasittu (she-demon): iii.d5 Let her snatch the baby from the lap who bore it. And etablish high priestesses and priestesses, let them be taboo,note and so cut down childbirth." Category:Mythology Category:Flood mythology Category:Babylon